rarely...but that's just me.....once you poke you need to really follow the 4-140 rule as critters on the outside will be pushed in. I did a kaluha butt once with injected coconut milk & rum and it was 'just ok' to me and I never did again. Some have very good results injecting chicken wings with hot sauce for smokin' hot wings....give it a whirl & see for yourself if you like the process or not.....Willie

I'm not paranoid about bacteria. Is it a genuine concern or just the cautious approach (i.e has anyone on the forums EVER got sick from injecting meat before internal temps hit 140?).

This is a genuine concern. A lot of bacteria that can cause food borne illness lives on the surface of the meat. When you inject it you shove that bacteria into the middle. Under normal circumstances when you don't inject that bacteria is killed quickly because the surface gets up to temp in a matter of minutes. The interior can take hours to get to temp so if you injected that bacteria is sitting in there multiplying and if it is a heat resistant strain than it could survive the cooking process (at least that is my understanding on the topic).

The only time that I inject mine is when I am making poor mans ham, or Buckboard bacon. Its not needed to keep the meat moist. It can change the flavor profile though. So If you're looking to change up the flavor then go for it. As mentioned if you do inject (unless you use cure in your injection) you need to adhere to the 140° in 4 hours rule.

40 to 140 in 4 hours or less. I may go out on a limb here and I'm not knocking anyone elses way of doing PP. But I don't think injection is needed with Pork Shoulder. There is a ton of moisture in there built in, all you have to do is cook to the right internal temp low and slow. I have never ever had a dry Butt. Now, I like to inject small chuck roasts with Creole Butter. I just love that flavor with the Beefyness of A smoked Chucky. But that's just me. I do use a finishing sauce at the end and also reserve the drippings and add them back in after defatting it.